Love Letter From The Future

Academy During the Day was always bustling. It didn’t matter whether it was a weekday or a weekend.

In the middle of the Academy Grounds, where the Central Library and Student Council Building were located, was particularly busy with passersby. After all, this was the heart of the Academy, and the Student Council Building housed a variety of shops for students to use.

The drink I was currently slurping through a straw was also purchased from one of those shops. At the small tables set up outside the Student Council Building, groups of students were chatting away.

A peaceful moment; across from me, as usual, sat Reto.

“… So, you just left those two behind and came here?”

Reto looked at me with a face full of disbelief. If I left them alone, they might as well start arguing. I sighed and scratched my head.

“What else was I supposed to do? They were both excited, and I was so irritated that I just had to get out of there.”

Upon hearing that, Reto seemed at a loss for words, his lips twitching before he turned away with an expression of giving up.

The sound of him sipping his drink echoed lonely in the air. Soon, Reto raised both hands in exasperation.

“Fine, fine. You’re graduating now. Time to step back.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

At my incredulous reaction, Reto looked at me as if I was being absurd.

“I mean, how can I still call you my pupil when the two most beautiful flowers in the Academy’s second year are fighting over a single guy? And didn’t you tell them to leave you alone for a while?”

“Wow,” Reto exclaimed, shaking his head as if in admiration. His expression quickly contorted.

“Playing hard to get, are we? But seriously, buddy, you really shouldn’t be doing that to Celin.”

I felt a twinge of regret as I considered that.

In fact, after returning to my dorm and thinking it over, I realized I should not have been so upset over it. Especially since Seria’s fidgety demeanor was still fresh in my mind.

She was particularly inexperienced in human relationships. I worried that my words might have been taken as a declaration of severing ties.

I clicked my tongue and resumed sipping the drink through the straw. A refreshing aroma tickled my nose, and I felt a little clearer-headed.

Seeing my troubled expression, Reto let out a big sigh. His face conveyed uncertainty about saying anything more. After a moment of silence, he seemed to decide to divert his thoughts in a positive direction.

Suddenly, he burst into quiet laughter. My questioning gaze turned to him.

A hint of mischief swirled in Reto’s green eyes.

“No way! Now that I think about it, you’ve rarely gotten that angry at Celin, right?”

“Well, that’s true.”

There was that one time in the hospital when we fought, but in the end, it was just a misunderstanding, and Celin was the one who ended up angry.

I’d never gotten mad at her like I did today. Maybe that’s why Celin had looked at me with a shocked expression.

Remembering that look made my stomach churn. Though Seria was Seria, Celin was also a friend I had shared joys and sorrows with. Having just fought with her had left me preoccupied with thoughts.

That’s how friendships go. An inconsequential connection can be severed without a second thought, but the stronger the bond, the more empty and uncomfortable it feels when it’s broken.

However, contrary to my complicated feelings, Reto was merely enjoying himself.

“Hey, this is going to be fun to watch!”

“What are you talking about?”

Reto responded, still giggling at my brief question.

“Of course, watching how Celin will react! She has to be utterly anxious right now. With a rival in the mix, she’s bound to get worked up and end up being unlikable…”

“How could I ever dislike Celin?”

“That’s your perspective, but right now, Celin is probably gnawing at her nails out of nervousness.”

I chuckled and tried to deny Reto’s words, but I soon found myself unable to say anything.

After all, Reto was like a big brother to Celin, so he would know her better than I did.

Still, I couldn’t easily believe that Celin—always bold and sociable—could be nervous.

It just didn’t compute. I could only shake my head doubtfully.

Reto seemed to anticipate my reaction and didn’t press me further for belief. He left me with a single request.

“Hey, stick close to me today. I want to see how Celin reacts, seriously.”

His cheerful voice was exuberant. It was full of a desire to tease Celin. No matter how things turned out, it seemed Celin’s misfortune was Reto’s happiness.

Of course, if Celin ended up in a genuinely dire situation, his expression would likely freeze.

That’s how family bonds are, aren’t they? I decided it was time to change the subject.

“By the way, Reto.”

“Yeah?”

At my casual tone, Reto also replied nonchalantly. However, I felt a bit anxious inside.

I feared that the topic I was about to raise would sound ridiculous. In fact, the last time I mentioned it to Reto, his reaction hadn’t been positive.

Yet, I couldn’t bear this heavy burden alone. At the very least, I needed a trustworthy companion to share my concerns with.

If so, the one to confide in first was obvious.

A close friend who was smarter than me, knowledgeable, and well-connected.

Reto Ainstern, and no one else.

“What if a letter came from the future? What would you think?”

“Huh?”

Reto, still with a straw in his mouth, questioned as if I had said something strange. After a moment of frowning and deep thought, he placed his drink back on the table.

He looked at me as if I was ridiculous.

“Are you still shaken up by what you said in front of Emma’s hospital bed? Seriously?”

“No, Reto. I’m serious! Look.”

As I said so, I pulled out the love letter I had been keeping safe in my possession. It was on elegant stationery, with neat handwriting. It looked like it was definitely written by an educated noble lady.

Even if I wanted to lie, I would have to work quite hard to recreate this. And as Reto well knew, I wasn’t the type who enjoyed such pranks.

Reto frowned, watching me as if questioning what I was doing. I gestured toward the letter I was holding out.

“Well, what do you want me to do with it?”

“Take a look at it! This is the letter from the future!”

At that, Reto’s face grew serious. He looked between my hand and my face, then sighed and leaned back in his chair.

In a voice mixed with exasperation, he said, “There’s nothing there.”

What was he talking about? Just as I was about to ask that, Reto leaned forward, tilting his upper body. He waved his hand over the letter I was holding out.

Suddenly, Reto’s hand passed through the letter as if there was nothing there. My eyes widened in shock.

It was something I couldn’t comprehend with my understanding. A physically tangible object to me didn’t exist for another?

It was no surprise that Reto’s expression hardened. He spoke in a serious tone.

“Hey, don’t you think you might need a mental checkup? It seems like the shock from when Emma was attacked was pretty heavy…”

“No, that’s not it! That previous monster subjugation was based on what was written in this letter!”

I fumbled over my words in a fluster, but Reto’s expression shifted from serious to sorrowful. At this rate, I’d have to be forcefully made to attend a counseling session.

I was also feeling frustrated. Was this true? Or was it merely a fabricated illusion? I couldn’t entirely rid myself of such doubts.

However, the monster attack during swordsmanship practice was not something I could have predicted. It wasn’t a chance occurrence, and I still vividly recalled the horrific nightmare I had that day.

Those blood-soaked golden eyes.

That gave me a peculiar certainty. I couldn’t ignore this letter. But right now, even the person who could help me the most couldn’t seem to trust me.

Past events provided no solid reassurance. So, I recited the contents of the future the letter spoke of.

“So, Reto. You might find it hard to believe now, but according to this letter, a powerful monster is going to appear at this year’s Hunting Festival.”

“Hunting Festival? Ah, right, I heard the fourth years who went out are returning now because of it.”

“…?”

I fell silent at Reto’s reaction. As my perplexed gaze met his, Reto stared back at me, wondering what was wrong.

Feeling frustrated, I stood up and loudly repeated the letter’s content. A bit louder this time.

“A strong monster is supposed to appear at this year’s Hunting Festival!”

“That means the Hunting Festival is coming up soon. I know that; is there any Academy student who doesn’t? What does that even matter?”

How could this be? I was left speechless and sank back into my seat.

The content I had expressed and the story that Reto relayed bore a strange gap. When I tried to convey the information from the letter, it seemed to get substituted with something similar but entirely different.

How could that be possible?

In reality, the idea of a love letter from the future was absurd, but with this level of distortion happening in front of me, I felt utterly bewildered.

As I blankly stared down, Reto slowly swallowed nervously. He seemed to be contemplating whether I had lost my mind or if he should take what I said seriously.

He soon sighed. As if he had come to a decision, he spoke.

“Listen, Iaan. If what you’re saying is true…”

“… It is true.”

As I replied in a slightly excited voice, Reto nodded, urging me to calm down. He continued in a low voice.

“If that’s the case, then it’s highly likely that time has distorted itself specifically around you.”

I looked at Reto with eyes full of confusion. Reto clicked his tongue, clearly conveying his thoughts without needing to say them.

“That’s why the Swordsmanship Department is no good,” he began to explain softly.

“It’s difficult to distort space and time even with magic. Only the highest-level magic might accomplish that, and even that has limitations on its range. Now, if a letter arrives from the distant future, that means information has been conveyed.”

“Why does that matter?”

Reto resumed sipping his drink, still pondering whether what I was saying truly mattered. But since I was on a roll, I pressed on.

“Just by the fact that information was conveyed from the future, it could cause massive distortions in the world. For example, you mentioned that the monster subjugation was based on what was written in the letter, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“Then how did the future send information regarding the monster’s subjugation? Did the letter get read by you?”

“W-well, it would be like that…?”

At my uncertain response, Reto shook his head. It was a sign that I was mistaken. He opened his mouth again.

“Time isn’t that simple. If there’s no past where you read the letter, a future where the monster was subjugated wouldn’t even exist. Then, the act of writing a letter from the future to send to you would also never occur. The causal chain of events gets locked away, like a closed loop.”

“…?”

I could only gaze at Reto with eyes full of confusion. Reto seemed frustrated, muttering a curse word under his breath before he leaned his head into his hand and spoke to me.

“You don’t have to understand it all, just think simply… The main point is that just that piece of information causes a tremendous distortion. The magic needed to correct that distortion would be even greater. So, to minimize the range of that distortion, they limited the scope of time reversal, and that ended up being you as an individual.”

“Is that even possible?”

“If a letter from the future has come, then how does that make sense?”

My mouth snapped shut. Reto was still looking at me with doubtful eyes, but for now, he cautiously shared his thoughts.

“So, if your story is true, then no matter how much you want to show me that letter, you wouldn’t be able to. Otherwise, the degree of distortion would expand, so it’s been set up like that from the start. There might be a way to bypass it, but…”

“Hmm,” Reto began to tap the table lightly with his index finger as he pondered. After a moment, he scratched his head and vigorously shook it.

“I can’t think of any ideas for now. Anyway, that’s how it is. I’ll look into it, so don’t overwork yourself, okay? Of course, if I had to bet, I’d put my money on you being insane.”

“Please don’t, seriously. I’m being serious…”

Ultimately, what I discovered from my conversation with Reto that day was as follows.

The love letter only came for me. And, others outside of me couldn’t see it. Transmitting the contents of the letter also counted as delivering future information to the past, making it impossible.

It was a hopeless reality. Did this mean I had to bear the contents of this letter all alone?

My mind felt heavy. My shoulders were burdened. Until now, I had been okay. I might have been able to handle things until the Hunting Festival. But if the contents of that love letter were true?

What if I had to prevent the destruction of the world?

Could I, merely the second son of a country gentleman, possibly handle such a thing? That was about the extent of my capabilities.

Yet, being told to prevent the world’s destruction out of the blue made me unable to do anything but laugh hollowly.

Just then, as I walked aimlessly,

I suddenly sensed a presence. In fact, I had been aware of it for some time but couldn’t recklessly call out to her yet as my thoughts weren’t settled.

Still, now I was in a relatively deserted alley. Perhaps it was finally time to have the conversation.

“… With you, Seria.”

From behind a building set far apart from me, a girl timidly revealed herself.

It was Seria. She looked at me with a tense expression, her eyes filled with urgency.

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